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History · West Hempstead

24% of West Hempstead’s homes were built before 1940

0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
3famous people
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Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

Where West Hempstead’s name came from

How did West Hempstead get its name?

West Hempstead’s name is derived from the community's first four little league teams: Eagles, Cardinals, Hawks, and Orioles.

Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about West Hempstead’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of West Hempstead are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of West Hempstead’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Hempstead’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Hempstead’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How West Hempstead came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of West Hempstead.

Read it all →

West Hempstead first appeared on maps as the name of a Long Island Railroad station in 1893. There are three railroad stations within its borders: West Hempstead, Hempstead Gardens, and Lakeview. The line continues to Valley Stream where it joins the Babylon Branch. Halls Pond Park, the main park within West Hempstead, was dedicated by Nassau County in 1961. The smaller Echo Park contains a public indoor pool. Its name is derived from the community's first four little league teams: Eagles, Cardinals, Hawks, and Orioles. In 1962 they represented the east in the Senior League world series beating a team from New London, Ohio 3-2 to advance to the championship against La Habra, California. West Hempstead ended up beating them 8-2. In 1956, the West Hempstead Public Library was founded and chartered by the State in 1967. Its present 28,000 square-foot facility was completed in 2007.

ChaptersEtymology

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

West Hempstead, 1965 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1965Born hereQuinn Early is born here
  3. 1979Born hereAri Goldwag is born here
  4. 1985Born hereKalomira is born here
By decade

West Hempstead, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Hempstead Gardens Drive, Hempstead Gardens, Long Island, New York September 18, 20212021Hempstead Gardens Drive, Hempstead Gardens, Long Isla…Chestnut Street, Hempstead Gardens, Long Island, New York September 18, 20212021Chestnut Street, Hempstead Gardens, Long Island, New …064 Long Island2020064 Long Island1964 World's Fair Arch;20181964 World's Fair Arch;NY 102 approaching NY 242015NY 102 approaching NY 24St. Thomas The Apostle Altar2011St. Thomas The Apostle Altar
Famous people

3 famous people were born in West Hempstead

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
KalomiraGreek-American singer · b. 1985
Q
Quinn EarlyAmerican football player · b. 1965
A
Ari GoldwagMusical artist · b. 1979
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hempstead4 historic placesA−Franklin Square1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLakeviewIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGarden City4 historic placesA−Malverne Park OaksIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about West Hempstead’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.